College Football Week 7 Predictions: OSU/IU, ND/BYU, Ala/Tenn, Ole Miss/Mizzou and Much More

Week 6 saw huge wins by Georgia, Oklahoma, Kentucky, UCLA, Indiana, and UNC, along with multiple surprising outcomes. Week 7 is absolutely loaded with ranked versus ranked marquee matchups and games flying under the radar that will deliver. Only 3 weekends remain before the first College football Playoff rankings get released. Each week will add more drama all the way to the conference finals. On paper this could be the best week of the regular season, so let’s see how it plays out on the field.

Marquee Matchups

#4 Ohio State vs. #5 Indiana: The Buckeyes travel to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the reigning national champions. Ohio State has another shot at a top 10 opponent hoping to reverse what happened against Texas in September. Indiana is not as dominate thus far as they were last year. They’ve also closed out two key wins over Northwestern and Nebraska. Ohio State has the advantage at quarterback now it will be up to the offensive line and play calling of head coach Ryan Day. Whichever team is able to control the clock by establishing a rush attack will go a long way earning a victory. A one-loss Buckeye squad surely doesn’t want to drop a second game in mid-October. Redzone points are valuable and will no doubt play a big part for the winner.

DraftKings

4.5/5

Tip: Ohio State -3.5

• Smith to go off
• Bo Jackson Big Day
• Ohio State needs this win

New DraftKings Customers: Bet $5, Get $200 + 3 Months of NBA League Pass!

Get bonus now

The Pick: Ohio State –3.5

#2 Notre Dame vs. #8 BYU: The Irish attempt to halt a streak of 7 straight losses to Top-10 true road opponents, the second longest in school history. Both teams come into this meaningful non-conference scrap unbeaten. One could make an argument that Notre Dame needs the win a tad more given the Cougars wouldn’t be affected in the Big-12 standings. BYU RB LJ Martin will be out, possibly putting a damper on their potent ground game. This College Football podcaster believes Notre Dame will force Cougars QB Bear Bachmeier to beat them with his arm. Neither program has a significant name on their resume, beating solid foes such as Arizona, TCU, Purdue, and North Carolina. Can BYU be good enough on defense and play keep-away to bet the plus number against the spread?

FanDuel

4.6/5

Tip: Notre Dame -10.5

• Carr to have a big game
• Bachmeier to have rough day
• Notre Dame O-Line to Dominate

New Users – Get $350 in Bonus Bets when you wager $5 for 7 days

Get bonus now

The Pick: Notre Dame –10.5

Under The Radar

#9 Ole Miss vs. #13 Missouri: Ole Miss had a bye week after taking a loss to Florida and then managed to get an easy win at Vanderbilt. The Tigers have back-to-back wins over Florida and Texas A&M with their only loss to Mississippi State.  Ole Miss RB Kewan Lacy will go higher in the draft, but Tigers RB Jamal Roberts has been stacking up the rushing yards which doesn’t bode well to a Rebel defense giving up 176 rushing yards per game. Clearly Trinidad Chambliss is head and shoulders above everyone in college football but let us not forget Missouri QB Austin Simmons has revenge on his mind transferring from Ole Miss. If you can juice Missouri to +7.5 it’s a good bet.

Caesars

4.4/5

Tip: Missouri +6

• Roberts to have a Big Day
• Chambliss the Difference
• Tight Game

Bet $1 and get double the winnings up to $25 for your next 10 bets

–

The Pick: Ole Miss wins but the pick is Missouri +6

#6 Alabama vs. #14 Tennessee: The Crimson Tide lick their wounds from a Georgia loss and now head to an unfriendly venue in Knoxville.  Tennessee has beaten Alabama twice in a row at Neyland Stadium. WR Ryan Coleman-Williams will be out for Bama, more importantly QB Faizon Brandon sat last week and reportedly will come off the bench for the Vols. It’s no secret Tennessee wants to run the ball averaging 228 rushing yards per contest. The Vols will likely keep it tight, and their defense has the most QB hits and 8th most fumble recovers. Look for the Crimson Tide to bounce back strong this week.

BetMGM

4.5/5

Tip: Alabama -7.5

• Russell is a difference maker
• Vols Offense to Struggle
• Vols defense has to keep it close

Up To $1500 in Bonus Bets Paid Back if your First Bet Does Not Win

Get bonus now

The Pick: Alabama –7.5

Saturday Upset Special

Air Force beats UNLV as a +1.5 and/or -111 moneyline.

Tulsa upsets Rice as a +4.5 road dog.

Hardcore Barnburners

#18 Oklahoma State vs. #20 Houston: This one here will be an old fashion Big-12 shootout with the over in play, even with a big total points number of 62.5. Cowboys QB Drew Mestemaker’s stock is on the rise, and Cougars QB Conner Weigman has been very productive.  Houston leads Division 1 in first down rushes and averages 230 rush yards per game facing an Oklahoma State defense surrendering 149 yards.

The Pick: Houston –4.5

#12 UCLA vs. Wisconsin: The Bruins in a hangover spot after beating Oregon in week 6. The Badgers look to be improved as they put up a fight for a half versus Notre Dame and completed an impressive 17-point comeback at Happy Valley.  The loss of QB Nico Iamaleava along with injuries across the offensive line will help the Wisconsin defense. Can’t miss coin flip Big Ten tilt that should please the hardcores who love gamed that go down to the wire.

The Pick: Wisconsin +2.5

Against The Spread

Kentucky +7 versus Oklahoma:

Nebraska +7.5 versus Oregon

PODCAST LINK: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rope-a-dope-radio-podcast/id1794655742?i=1000796041109

Quick Hits Recap

-Georgia outgained Alabama 455 to 346 as they closed out the Crimson Tide 20-17.

-UCLA held Oregon to a combined 1 of 14 on 3rd/4th down, forced 7 turnovers, and rushed for 140 yards as they upset the Ducks 17-15.

-Oklahoma’s defense and special teams carried the day by blocking a punt and intercepting Texas QB Arch Manning twice, one for a pick-six as they shocked the Longhorns 27-24.

-Kentucky QB Kenneth Minchey ran in a two-point conversion in overtime to knockoff LSU 35-34.

-Hoosier WR Nick Marsh caught two 4th quarter touchdowns, finishing with 187 yards on 6 catches in a comeback victory over Nebraska 20-17.

-Missouri RB Jamal Roberts rushed for 222 yards and two touchdowns marking back-to-back weeks with over 200 yards on the ground in a 27-6 blowout of Texas A&M.

-Iowa RB Kamari Moulton put up a career high 208 rushing yards and 2 TDs in a 41-24 stomping in Washington.

-Former Minnesota running back Fame Ijeboi had 31 carries for 195 yards and 3 touchdowns as Purdue put the smackdown on the Gophers 41-13.

Written by Chris Carlson Host of The College Ball Show available under  The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, Amazon Podcasts, Tunein, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox  & More! Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio